The Italian artist's $6.2 million 'banana artwork' on the wall has won once again

Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan's "Comedian," a piece of art featuring a banana taped to a wall, has won once again.

The Centre-Pompidou Metz museum of modern and contemporary art in eastern France said in a statement that a visitor ate a $6.2 million banana that was taped to the wall on July 12. The security team reportedly acted swiftly, following procedures, and replaced it a few minutes later. It emphasized that the banana was replaced regularly, as instructed by Italian artist Cattelan, and that it is a perishable item.

3 people have already eaten the popular banana product.

Cattelan's banana piece sold for $120,000 at Art Basel in Miami, Florida, where it was first exhibited in 2019. Following the sale, performance artist David Datuna ate the banana, and it was quickly replaced. In 2023, a student at the Leeum Art Museum in South Korea ate the artwork on the wall, claiming he was hungry. In November 2024, Chinese collector and cryptocurrency platform founder Justin Sun purchased the banana piece "Comedian" at auction in the US for $6.24 million and later ate it.